The Boneshakers: Live To Be This Review

With a 25-year-plus career behind them, The Boneshakers have not settled for turning out mediocre music, and their newest release, Live To Be This, proves it. Their eleventh album, and first recorded on Mike Zito’s Gulf Coast Records, features fifteen high-quality tracks that defy easy classification. The music can best, and most simply, be described as “good stuff.” It has also been described as “Detroit soul with musical influences of Memphis and Muscle Shoals.” The Boneshakers, featuring Randy Jacobs and Jenny Langer, are said to have been named years ago by Bonnie Raitt. They’ve brought in an impressive lineup of guest appearances on this new project, including Charlie Musselwhite, Don Was, Bobby Rush, Coco Montoya, Jimmy Carpenter, John Papa Gros, and Ron Holloway. The band describes the new album as “gritty, soulful, and alive; made by real musicians playing with feeling.” In support of Live To Be This, the band has upcoming tour dates in both the U.S. and U.K.

Live To Be This doesn’t shortchange listeners on quality or quantity, offering a strong collection of fifteen standout tunes. The opening track, “I’ll Kick a Brick for My Man,” is the first single and immediately showcases Jenny Langer’s dynamic vocals along with impressive instrumental solos. “How Do You Spell Love” is another highlight. The Boneshakers deliver a great cover of the classic previously recorded by The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Temptations, and Bobby Patterson. According to this version, love is spelled “m-o-n-e-y.” The seventh track, “I Am the Cool” (featuring Don Was), leans into swagger and irony. Lines like “So many of them, so little time” and “being the person that moms warned about” might not sound flattering, but listen closely. This track defines what cool really means.

“Salty,” featuring Bobby Rush, is another memorable tune and serves as the album’s second single. “Things are going to get a little bit salty,” the song warns, backed by strong vocals and excellent guitar work. The final track on Live To Be This, “The Cake and the Candle,” is a fitting, tender closer. It’s a sweet and slow ballad that allows Langer’s emotive vocals to shine as she sings, “My eyes are on the prize. I want it all. I want the cake, and I want the candle.”

Whatever your musical tastes may be, Live To Be This by The Boneshakers is an enjoyable and moving listening experience. The album delivers superb musicianship, heartfelt vocals, and tight arrangements from start to finish. With any luck, I’ll get the chance to see them live soon. I strongly recommend giving this recording a listen.

The Review: 9/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– I’ll Kick A Brick For My Man
– How Do You Spell Love
– I Am The Cool
– Salty
– The Cake And The Candle”

The Big Hit

– Salty